Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Big Mamas to Be

I keep putting off this post, but I figure I should do it soon before some of these links die.

Plus-size maternity clothes are hard to come by. When I was pregnant, I didn't have too much trouble because I could wear XLs and XXLs from Gap, Old Navy, and Motherhood, but if I had been even a tiny bit bigger, that wouldn't have been an option. So, if you are in the 14-18 range, you will likely fit into the higher sizes at those stores. Old Navy sizing is so generous that I would even conjecture that you can wear misses' XXL if you are a 22/24. I really like this khaki shirt dress from Gap, on sale for under $30 right now.

I think maternity dressing has both very personal and very universal aspects. On the one hand, everyone's body changes differently and at different rates, but on the other, I don't know any mothers who don't complain about fit issues that have just baffled them. There aren't too many style guides devoted exclusively to maternity style. In fact, the only one I can think of off the top off my head, Expecting Style by Lauren Sara feels both very dated and sort of a plug for her own clothing line. I'm not even convinced that you need a maternity style guide. And yet here we are!

I think you kind of want a uniform when you are pregnant, so once you figure out what works for you, you can focus on what matters: hunting down a chocolate cupcake with cream cheese frosting, sleeping, and going pee a lot. Seriously, though, what you are wearing is often the last thing you want to stress about when pregnant. I suggest packing away things as they grow too tight, and making a fortnightly/monthly reassessment of what you need. Hold on to anything long and stretchy, and stretchy cardigans, since they will last the whole way through.

I feel like most of these pieces are pretty much interchangeable, which would give you lot more mileage. You need one of those belly bands so you can wear lots of pants that you can no longer zip, plus they gather in extra material, too, if you have maternity stuff that doesn't quite fit yet. These are all really simple--crisp white top, nautical top, another print, a couple of plain tops, then various lengths of shorts/pants, a wrap dress (many of us can get away with wearing a non-maternity one), and a sweater. I would also have some yoga pants, even if you don't do yoga (although I heartily recommend it--so relaxing!). The Dorothy Perkins' stuff comes in sizes up to UK 22, about a US 20. If I had money to burn, I would also grab a few more basics: